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Medicare Now Covers Lung Cancer Screening at PIH Health

PIH Health is a Lung Cancer Alliance Screening Center of Excellence

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. This is largely due to the fact that lung cancer is often not discovered until it is in the late stages when it is harder to treat.

Medicare will now pay for a once a year lung cancer screening for people at the highest risk. To qualify for the procedure, a low dose computed tomography scan (LDCT), Medicare patients must fit the following criteria:

Age 55 to 77

Current smokers or those who have quit smoking within the last 15 years

Smoking history of at least 30 “pack years” (an average of one pack a day for 30 years)

PIH Health offers this lung screening exam that helps identify cancer before people begin to experience symptoms. The screening exam itself is very simple and painless and takes just a few minutes to complete. Even those who have quit smoking years ago are still at risk for lung cancer. Studies have shown that having a yearly LDCT scan can help reduce the risk of lung cancer death by 20 percent.

As a Lung Cancer Alliance Screening Center of Excellence, PIH Health offers state-of-the-art equipment and procedures, industry-leading physicians and compassionate care every step of the way. For additional information, please call the PIH Health Lung Cancer Screening Program at 562.967.2892.